Explosive.



and particularly for blastin materials added to the explosive base one or othcr oi the inert moderating material JESSE l3. BRAUNS'JEIN, OF ALL TOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

EXPLOSIVE.

To all whom it may coneernfi .Be it known that I, Jnssri B. of the United 'States,-and a resident of county of Lehigh and vented certain new and useful Improvements in Explosives, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to the manufacture of that class of commercial explosives in which non-explosivematerials, oxidizing or wholly'incrt, are added to the explosive. base either to moderate the action of the latter or to insure its complete combustion and the object of the invention is to provide for such purpose a non-explosive material which so far as 1 am aware has not heretofore been used and which, I have discovered, has marked advantages over the agents which are in common use for said purpose, 'For many uses to which explosives are put in the arts, it is Customary to moderate the violence of explosion by reducing the percentage of the explosive base in a given mass or charge of tlle commercial explosive, and the percentage of explosive base to the entire mixture is ing to the particular character of made to vary accordwork to be done. The in making up the mixture vary in character, some being entirely inert, and soniehaving the capacity of oxidizing agents where I such an agent is required to insure complete combustion of the explosive base.

My invention relates more particularly-to the production of blasting powders having nitro-starch as the ex plosive base. lthas heretofore been customary in producing such powders to use as the added material some \vcll-knoum oxidizing agents usually nitrate of soda. I have discovered however, that the use of an oxidizing agent in such powders is unnec cssary and have further discovered that common com mercial iron filings or other finely divided metallic particles such, for example, as lead, zinc, and the common commercial alloys can be successfully utilized as the in, the production of the nitro-starch explosive mixture, and that when so used it has marked. advantages over any other material which, so far as I am aware, has ever been proposedfor Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed May 27,1907. Serial No. 376,003.

I l l I i such purpose. BRAUNSTEIN, a citizen Allentown, in the State of Pennsylvania, have inthe powder and approximately 1 intermixed by anyconvenient means.

Patented Oct. 22, 1907.

Not only does the finely divided metal c'ombinethe required moderating capacity, with the most dsirable weight and density, butI have discovered the remarkable fact that it has a stabilizing influence on the nitro-stareh and to a considerable extent it decreases the quantity of smoke generated upon explosion, due to the presence of moderating agents which have heretofore been proposed" It is also needless to say that the cheapness of various sorts of finely divided metal, such as iron filings, is a most important commercial advantage. I

In producing a powder in accordance with my invention-I prefer to use iron filings and the grade of filings or other finely divided particles of metal used should be such as to permit of an intimate intermixture with the explosive base. I have used with success a grade of filings such as will pass through a forty mesh screen. 'lhe percentage of filings used, varics of course with the strength of the charge desired, the grade of these powdcrs varying from 30 to 70 7 If for example the powder is to be of the 40% grade, that is,'having 40% by, weight of explosive base, the balance of the mixture will be meta-l filings 60% by weight. Where desired to give consistency, a small percentage, say 1%? of a suitable oil may be added, for example cotton seed oil in which case the iron filings would be 58%? by weight. For ordinary purposes I prefer to use an oil in making up 'by weight of oil may be said to be the preferred percentage. The nitrostarch and metal particles are caused to be intimately I claim:

1. An explosive composition consisting of mixture of substantially from 30 per cent. to of nitro-starch. and from 70 to 30 per cent. \ided iron.

2. An explosive composition mixture of substantially from of nitro-stal'ch.

in testimony s u-cilication, in

an intimate 70 per cent. of finely diconsisting of 30 per cent. to 70 per cent. and from 70 to 30 per cent. of iron fillings. \\'ll(l'(fll. l have signed my name to tilts the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JESSE B; BRAI'NS'IEIN.

an intimate \Vil ncsses (traumas II. llowsox', Josv ll. Kmnx; 

